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Cantha
Cantha is the name of the world on which most of the events of the Nine Bells takes place, as well as the name for the main continent. Cantha is also used to refer to one of the three planes of existence on which most things are found, the other two being Death and Anima. During the time of the events of the Nine Bells in 106 AWG, most of Cantha, save the continent of Cantha itself, has remained unexplored; though the existence of other continents is known. Regions and Geography'_________________________________________________________________________ The continent itself is divided into four layers: The Surface, Subterra, The Underdark, and The Abyss; the first three of these are largely inhabited. The Surface itself is divided into seven distinct regions: Laforge, Petrica, Gazi, Queensdale, Sinbar, Eilbero Woodlands, and the Grey Lands 'The Grey Lands: 'is a cold, arid, hostile region in the far north of Cantha. The things that thrive here are determined, hardy, and difficult to control. Unsurprisingly, this happens to be the homeland of the orcs and the greater giants. Along the edge of the Grey Lands is a great wall known as the North Wall, mostly curated and controlled by the armies of Petrica Province and the Explorer's League, though parts of the wall are under the jurisdiction of Laforge Province as well. 'Petrica Province: 'is the north most region hugging the North Wall. The humans, and few elves, gnomes, and dwarves that live in Petrica Province are a proud and fearsome people, famed for their brave warriors, swift cavalry, and warm sense of hospitality. The Petricans have also crafted a steady relationship with the orc camps that live within their walls. The capital of Petrica is Tunis, a military town sitting strategically on a enormous rock on Lake Petrica, the largest freshwater lake in all of Cantha. The geography of Petrica consists of small forests, and great open plains. In the far west, the town of Freudenthal acts as a major trade hub and centre for hospitality as it connects the Ungoer mountains, the dwarven city of Bara-Duin, the roads of the Eilbero Woodlands with the river Zine and the city of Tunis. On the other side of the region is the fort-town of Northwatch, home of the Explorer's League, and the main staging point of the North Wall Defence Force; and the city of Trokair, the centre for craftsmen in the region and one of the two Bard's Colleges in Cantha. 'Queensdale Province: Containing a mix of temperate and tropical rainforest, Queensdale province is said to be the ancestral home of the humans, and is thus almost entirely inhabited by humans. As a result, the denizens of this land tend to be sharp, complacent, and sometimes a little elitist.The people of Queensdale are also said the be the most enlightened with the Angels, and thus is home to almost all of organized religion in Cantha. The capital city of Maater, also known as the Temple City, is a sprawling complex of ampitheatres, temples and churces, and markets, and other public spaces. Though the denizens of Maater take much pride in their livelihood, the citizens of the cliffside city of Akbay are famed for the quality of their arts and history, as well as the courage of their sailors in pursuit of a good story. It's no wonder then that the other Bard's College set up their establishment in the centre of the city. Between the Akbay and Maater, on the edge of the forest and rainforest, lies the druidic town of Nazray. It's inhabitants are said to be unusually in tune with the flows of nature, and often the queen of Queensdale will pay a visit to engage in the druid's counsel. In the south, along the gnomish and dwarven wall of Omadis sits the town of Qum-Vin, a dwarven outpost monitoring the traffic going in and out of the region of Sinbar. Sinbar: used to be a thriving semi-urbanized region, and the ancestral home of the ingenious gnomes. Used to be. 200 years prior to the events of the Nine Bells, a cataclysmic event struck the region, starting with the eruption of the dormant volcano, Mt. Dello, this progression of events set off a chain reaction that completely destroyed almost all of gnomish society. Since then, the surviving gnomes underwent a major diaspora, and the vacuum left in the region has since been filled by returning gnomes and a splinter group of dwarves from the stronghold of Kel-Thor. They have since founded the semi-subterranean city of Tra-Kass. The original capital of Sinbar, Tovendil, has still been left in ruins and has remained untouched since the Cataclysm. A group of gnomish archaeologists, based in the town of the Prixi, are keen to attempt to uncover the mysteries of their ruined capital, and the network of urban planning that lies just below the surface of their region. Meanwhile, the dwarves in the port town of Umm-Vin are struggling to eke out a living near the treacherous lava flows of Mt. Dello. The region is bounded by a large wall, Omadis. The wall serves dual purpose of firstly keeping any other greedy nations out of the region, but more importantly, rumor says the wall exists to keep something in the region from getting out. What that mystery might be is yet to be seen. Gazi Province: The swampy marshland of Gazi province holds many secrets, and the people of the province tend to be curt, shrewd, and somewhat mistrustful of everyone else. The region is home to many ruins from a yet unknown and unidentified culture, as well as many entrances into the Underdark. This contributes to their relatively high drow population, so much so that it influenced much of the culture of the region. The capital city of Kaleej is a criminal hotspot for both local vagabonds and international criminals. In the far south, the port town of Ja'am at the mouth of the river Ibis is an existential oddity. The denizens frequently hear ominous sounds, see strange lights, and ghosts frequently walk the streets. Still, life somehow goes on for the people living there. Meanwhile, the northern town of Nah'r Dhraa, seems to be the only area in the region with any semblance of normalcy. The Hippocratic Institute, a school for training doctors and alchemists, makes its home in that town. No wonder, as the swamps, deltas, and jungles of the region hold a wealth of magical and nonmagical plants, animals, and chemical reagents. No matter where in the region, everyone seems to be afflicted with that particular and peculiar brand of Gazi madness. Laforge Province: The best way to describe the terrain of Laforge is "vertical". Though the region has its shares of plains and forests, a large portion of the area is a series of mountains, ravines, and bluffs. The strange geography has often been attributed to Laforge's unusually high concentration of natural magical energy, supposedly as runoff seeping out of the Eilbero Woodlands. The locals of Laforge have capitalized on their abundance of magic by setting up the Academy at Wuhal, a huge and prestigious school dedicated to the study of magic in (almost) all its forms. Many mages will often set off from the academy and train at Miren Keep as battlemages for sport, defence, or to support the effort at the North Wall. Miren Keep is also a major staging point for many sea expeditions to the archipelago off the coast of the region, and also governs the upstream travel of many ships wanting to go inland via the Miren river. The region's capital is the city of Bann, at the base of the Ungoer mountains. The city is a major diplomatic centre, responsible for maintaining favourable relations between humans, dwarves, and more recently, the orcs; though the people of Laforge are less taking to the orcs living among them than their Petrican counterparts. At the edge of the Eilbero Woodlands, the town of Wood's Edge has a historic place as being the first place in Cantha where humans and elves were able to peacefully coexist, and the denizens of this town managed to avoid many of the attacks and recruitment policies from both elves and humans during the white-green war over 100 years ago. Eilbero Woodlands: As part of the concord that ended the white-green war between humans and elves 106 years ago, it was agreed upon that the central great forest of Eilbero would belong exclusively to the elves. As a result, the enormous trees woods are fiercely protected by both fae and elves alike. The woods themselves are dark as a result of the competition that trees have, growing hundreds of feet into the sky and blocking out almost all light to the forest floor. The darkness makes a great home for all manner of beasts, both magical and non magical. Thus travelers need to be careful when traveling the roads through the forest, and are best suited to hiring a guide to guide them along the major, yet well-protected roads through the forest. Though many elves do live in the woods themselves, most live in the capital city of Teagan at the heart of the forest. The city is almost like a living, carved into the trunks and canopies of the trees themselves. The Dwarven Strongholds and the Subterra: Though the surface of the world is split into seven regions, the underground has no concept borders. The industrious dwarves, in their underground strongholds, seek to occupy as much space as they can. There are three major subterranean dwarven strongholds, all of which are in relative peace with each other (provided one doesn't expand into the territory of the other). The largest of the strongholds, Bara-Duin, sits underneath the Ungoer Mountains, and its territory even spans into the Grey Lands. The next largest, Kel-Thor, sits on the edge of Queensdale Province, Petrica Province and the Eilbero Woodlands. They were the first to fully integrate the gnomes into their society, and reaped major benefits of gnomish technology which allowed them to expand at an unprecedented rate. Lastly, the dwarves of Jo-Kil, located under the northern section of Gazi Province, are, like their surface counterparts, furtive and uninteractive. Dwarven strongholds have been always at risk of goblin attacks, and more recently, raids by tieflings. The Underdark: The final inhabited strata of Cantha is the Underdark, a deep-dark network of caverns and tunnels mostly inhabited by tieflings and drow. The Underdark is subject to many cave-ins and tiefling attacks, and its danger often allures criminals to make use of its vast network of tunnels for transportation across the continent, as well as setting up little black markets in its caverns. That said, the Underdark lies right on the border with a layer called the Abyss, inhabited by all manner of demons and foul creatures, and one must be careful not to stray too close.